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THBEarly 20th C. Indonesian Wood Altar - Ancestral Goddess
Lot 211b
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$5,000 - $7,500
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Nov 14, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-11-14 10:00:00
2019-11-14 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ethnographic | Tribal | American Frontier
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ethnographic-tribal-american-frontier-4634
Featuring Pre-Columbian, Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, historical examples from the Spanish, Mexican, and American frontiers, fossils, and more. All items offered for sale have been legally acquired, are legal to sell and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring Pre-Columbian, Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, historical examples from the Spanish, Mexican, and American frontiers, fossils, and more. All items offered for sale have been legally acquired, are legal to sell and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (373)
- Lot Description
Eastern Indonesia, Leti Islands, Maluku Islands (Maluku Province), ca. early 20th century CE. A striking, hand-carved wooden altar featuring a stylized woman's body. She stands on two thin legs with her tiny feet (relative to the rest of her body) perched atop a wooden box decorated with floral motifs. Inlaid into the wooden box are two goblet-shaped wooden offering vessels, each set to one side in front of her feet. The woman has her arms upraised, which are massive, widening to hands wider than her head, each with five nub-like fingers and relief birds with enormous tail feathers carved into her palms. Her head rises above her body on a thin neck, with huge ears and nose, deepset eyes, and a small, thin line for a mouth. Atop her head is a huge headdress with the same floral and avian motifs as the box and her palms; above that is an openwork crown. Her body is carved with clear breasts, a chain-like belt, and, between her breasts, what looks like an antlered creature whose lower body and legs become series of leaves. Size: 18" W x 30.15" H (45.7 cm x 76.6 cm)
This incredible altar would have been dedicated to the founding ancestress of a particular kinship group from the islands. The founding mother is the most important ancestor for the people of the Leti Islands, who are matrilineal. She promotes the status of the group with her adornment - in this case, her antlers pendant and her crown indicate the high status of the group. Her pendant is known as the mas tanduk, "gold horns" in Moluccan Malay, and represents a hunting trophy. Her wooden pedestal is known as a yademu and offerings placed on it were considered sacrifices to her.
See a very similar one collected by Wilhelm Muller in 1912 at the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum, Cologne, Germany.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#150931Light wear commensurate with age, but overall the sculpture is in very nice condition. It is composed of several carved pieces of wood fit together and a few of these have added adhesive to hold them in place. Rich patina.Condition
- Shipping Info
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